Promoting Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

Pumping the Petrol thing 

Image "Pumping Fuel" courtesy Michelle Meiklejohn  freedigitalphotos.net

We all know with fossil fuels that if global production hasn't peaked it will do so shortly. Be very wary of so called reports that claim there are vast reserves enough to energise our world for hundreds of years more. Only a fool thinks fossil fuel has a future. It always pays to verify sources when data rolls off people's tongues like golden syrup. There is a limit to oil, gas and coal and when they peak, if it hasn't already in a number of countries, demand will outpace supply. The cost of production will rise and people will hurt at the bowser and their lifestyles will be affected, that's a given. Except for the player that moves post haste on to the new game in the early stages. Of course the player needs to be smart, and I expect competition to be rough. But there is no doubt the writing is plainly visible for all to see. Renewable energy is going to succeed with or without stimulation from the government. The masses just won't be able to afford living on extortionate oil. 

Prices are going to escalate according to supply and demand economics. Its doesn't get any simpler than that. As we read daily, our dependency on fossil fuels is causing the planet all sorts of grief from geopolitical wars, global warming, and pollution down to local environmental suicide, introducing toxic chemicals into our water systems. 

There is no contest, governments are heavily lobbied by the undisputed polluters like big Coal, Oil and Gas companies. Let's face it the average grassroots environmental advocate is up against these formidable money machines.  Trying to get ear with politicians is the proverbial uphill battle. Reform looks bleak. Despite all the grinding and head banging nothing really changes. It feels like being stuck in one hell of a rasping gear going nowhere.

One of the conundrums resides in revenue income governments need to stave their countries woes. Without significant tax revenues derived at the pumps some countries would find themselves in predicament of collapse. Possible a number of oil dependent countries would be heading toward failed statehood. We have already witnessed Western governments scrambling to stem likely domino repercussions from states on the brink of insolvency. Because we live in a global village, irregardless of borders, ones business is inescapably moored to everyone's business. 

Figure Japan. The recent tsunami decimated the nuclear plants and oil reserves.  No oil no transport, no transport no stores full of food and supplies, no food and water, people die. Japan, being one of the richest countries in the world is facing catastrophe on a scale beyond appreciation of the word. Now it would be foolish to blame oil for this disaster, but it doesn't take much effort to connect the dots. Oil is badly needed because the infrastructure in Japan relies on it, yet, it is also that substantial reliance which makes it such a concern. Without a more sustainable alternative the world looks very dark.

Sounds like we are doomed, doesn't it? Without consensus and practical plans available this quagmire will only get worse.

Well what if there was such plans, renewable efficient energy plans that could reduce our carbon output and remove our dependency on hazardous fossil fuels? What if those plans were fully costed and engineered, proven with present technologies, ready to go today? What if the costs were guaranteed to be less than the cost of doing nothing? Allowing the same old system to operate uncontested isn't smart. What if that costs were within budget? Would you be interested? Would you want to consider it? Would it at least be worth a look?

Surely. any reasonable person would say yes. 

Be assured there are such plans out there. Unfortunately, hopeful news of viable alternatives doesn't get noticed without publicity, usually spelt as m-o-n-e-y. Let's show money has a thing to learn about people power. In the next bog instalment I am going to posit a local Australian initiative called Beyond Zero Emissions. 

We need to demand that this debate goes front and centre in the community, because seriously, whether we like it or not, we can't survive being servile to ignorance and corporations that are more committed to profit than human beings. 

Water, the most precious of all.

One hesitates to begin with, “I don’t want to sound alarmist, but…” But I will. No self-control, I wager. “Shout, shout” I order myself!  “Before the Siren’s exact their charm.”

If this is ever a “for the whom the bell tolls” moment this surely must be our wake up clang. For an international corporate coup d’état of Australian waterways is well upon us. If I hadn’t stumbled on this news article in the paper today I might have missed it altogether. Is it true? Are we so desperate that we have to sell our most precious birthright on the stock exchange?

Why? How is this possible that we failed to notice it happening? Who made it happen? Why do I feel angry?

This is no contest. Water is the most precious resource of all. Every living thing on this earth depends on it to survive. Tell me, what good should be more sacrosanct than public access to clean water and air?

How dare we disregard Bolivia’s story? At our peril, don’t begin to tell me it will never happen here. It is and it will escalate as long as we continue to remain naive and apathetic to our own highly publicised dry-bone continental supply. It just isn’t smart to trust that our governments are looking after our welfare when we have evidence, as this article demonstrates, to the contrary.

It is unfathomable to imagine we could simply surrender our most essential life-preserving constituent to overseas stakeholders. At its rudiment form corporations are cold-blooded abattoirs competing for earnings. For them profit is the only moral. If you don’t believe me do your own research, how they treat third world nations. Tell me, if you are not mortified by their exploitation and callousness for others. Look past the feigned rhetoric to their actions where greater truths are sure to be found in their alliances and conduct.

Water is too vital to claim ownership rights. It really belongs to no one or no thing. But since human kind insists on fingering every pie it can imagine we must ensure that it is shared at least fairly among all living things, entrusting with respect to scrutiny and rational courage.

References to Bolivia

http://www.cbc.ca/news/features/water/bolivia.html 

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/South_America/Bolivia_WaterWarVictory.html 

http://www.democracyctr.org/bolivia/investigations/water/

The Main Story

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/thirsty-foreigners-soak-up-scarce-water-rights-20100903-14uev.html

Climate-gate: Under Exposed Hoax

I really don't know where to begin. Finally after a four month investigation Pennsylvania State University has given Michael Mann, one of the adjudged conspirators of data manipulation, the all clear on research misconduct.

While this announcement is most welcome for some reason it does not feel like a victory. Unforgivably, I can not erase the smug looks I imagine are still frozen to the faces of the climate denier's. Their malicious aim was to muddy Copenhagen. Derailment. Loss of ground, indeed, but it is better to be absolved of wrongdoing than be held to the firing wall. Not that deniers will be satisfied with this finding, they are unable to accept evidence unless it is exclusively theirs.

The fact is we should feel more secure about science, especially when it is scrutinised by peers.

I think it is fair to say the news coverage was hot when it first leaked. And milder when the all clear was given. I still believe the real story rests with the mainstream media. The bias is palpable. Whatever it is that bends them they are not giving it away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/02/michael-mann-cleared
Pennsylvania State University noted Mann's "outstanding" work was widely recognised in science circles - discounting accusations of misconduct.

Mt Kosciusko - My Repose

Looking out from a trail going to Mt Kosciusko, the highest mountain in Australia, one can get lost even in one's thought. For as far as can be seen with the naked eye, there is only rocks and tussocks of grasses. On closer inspection there are lichens, mosses, many different types of grasses, bushes, flowers, and footprints of animals by the rivulets. Walking off the alpine trail feels wrong like trespassing. I worry about the damage caused from my heavy footprint. In this sensitive habitat one feels awe and respect for life on this earth. Rough cold winds swirl through cloudy landscape where the wiliest of plants and animals fend survival.

As sometimes I find myself stopping and taking note of flowers, rocks and animals, perhaps Wordsworth felt the same when he jotted out his poems. Despite not concurring with his sentiment of romantic nature, but I do feel reverence in human-less environments. His words:

I hear

These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs

With a soft inland murmur. Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky.

The day is come when I again repose

Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey

Life is indeed fragile and beautiful. In mindful homage to my earth I am certain there is more at stake in this world than our comforts, alone.

This is how religion does it

There is probably no state in the United States of America more Republican conservative than the Beehive state of Utah. The hive buzzes under the paternal eye of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the Mormons as they are more familiarly known as. According to a 2008 Pew report, just under 50% of its citizens go that way. The next closest religious affiliation belongs to the Catholics at 10%. Sixteen percent declare no affiliation.

Needless to say, the voice of the church is zealously endorsed by its majority practitioners and thus the politicians often vote in line with predominant Mormon beliefs. Political outcomes are popularly determined according to religious views expounded by the Mormon hierarchy. In this it would appear that the separation of church from state is a thinly veiled disguise. Undoubtedly the church leaders protect their vested interests through their suppliant disciples. In influencing the minds and hearts of sufficient numbers of Utahn's the church is able to maintain its control of state affairs, and extend this leverage federally. Orin Hatch and Harry Reid are two Mormon senators who have high political profiles. More substantially the church membership prodigiously stretches across all the states, and Mormons are motivated voters. In fairness the church like many religious organisations seeks to shape wider community/political outcomes according to their tenets.

For example, Mormon church leaders played a significant role in enabling California's Proposition 8 legislature to restrict the definition of marriage to heterosexual couples only. The threat of gay marriages being legalised in California was abhorrent to them and had to be stopped. They coordinated huge financial support to help garner the proposition by a narrow majority 52.24%.

Finally, we come to the issue of environment and the opposition to global warming. How does Utah vote on this issue? By now it should be obvious. It votes according to what they hear from the pulpit.

I happen to know a number of devout Mormons and pretty well all of them express the same mantra as does the Mormon entertainer Glenn Beck. They do not believe global warming is man-made. In fact to them it is a mighty international conspiracy or hoax. They know all this you see because god speaks directly to them. From this superior vantage point the end of days is nigh, Jesus in his wrath will return and eventually burn the earth, cleansing it of iniquity by napalm and then restart the earth all over again in a pure celestial form. Global warming runs according to prophecy along with the unleashing of Satan and his apocalyptic horsemen who are apparently whipping the earth into a maelstrom. In this scenario, in the grand scheme of things, global warming makes small potatoes.

Personally, I just don't get it why they resist pitching in to help save the saveable planet. The solutions are manageable. If we could just work collectively then we are in with a chance to minimalise the damage. Instead these 'saviours of men' prefer to plunk their heads in the sand and trust in their vengeful god. As our flesh burns we might want to reflect on our mistake not to join them in salvation. They, in their insurance fire-proof garments, will be profoundly sorry we did not repent of our sins. But their tears will soon dry when our crispy skinned resurrected bodies are presented into a terrestrial or telestial world that is supposedly so wonderful we would all kill ourselves just to get there. Joe Smith's earth is not for the scorched billions. It belongs to god's few anti-social fanatics.

Hard to argue against this divine logic, I know.

Anyway, here is the result of where Utahn's stand on global warming. It rankles me to think the interests of people most likely to be disadvantaged by rising sea levels are not taken into account. Where do the Samaritan's keepers get off turning their backs on humanity. Utah's action to do nothing exposes more than just immorality. What a dull thinking lot these goody goodies are.

By gum it stinks in Salt Lake City.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/12/utah-climate-alarmists

This is a war

The polls have picked up on attitude shifts away from people believing in the scientific claims about global warming. The political failure of the Copenhagen Accord would have put people in despair mode, but the damage done over the Himalayan fiasco and the East Anglia scientists, in my opinion, has been nothing short of catastrophic for the global warming movement. I have said as much in an earlier post.

But I keep coming back to it because it never goes away, and like Chicken Little (depending on the version one reads) the most endearing feature of the story is that the fox is the one to watch. While the farmyard is all in a buzz Foxy Loxy is secretly licking his chops.

Let's be clear the pedestrian cynic is not FL. Within a margin of error, they are simply the masses, running around drinking TEA behaving exactly as they are programmed to do. I reckon it would have to be someone or some organisation or a number of organisations which stands to benefit most directly or indirectly for it to be worth all the trouble. The stakes are too high to be playing climate roulette unless there was a buck in it. If only we could identify the real source which moves the media's hands we might be getting somewhere.

The Guardian has been diligent in following the buzz. And I don't really have an issue with their approach. We need transparency even if it appears to muddy the works. We need to investigate deeper behind the story.

Where are these attacks coming from? I read somewhere that the Chinese government was the hacker agent behind the exposed mail fraud. Then in another news article I read that the hacking only went through China to throw on a scent and make it appear the Chinese were involved. Of course there are a number of plausible parties with vested interests in controlling the debate, but in the end I'm pretty sure only conspiracy theories will surface? In any case the damage is done and it is unlikely the true architect(s) will come forth. I just wish the journalists would cover the source angle. Then again I best not hold my breath waiting for a miracle.

My hope is that the mud sinks to the bottom soon. We need clarity if we are going to upend the damage. Honesty is the best tact, perhaps the only one as well. This is a war against the earth and we must not lose sight of that fact.

How it stood December 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8396512.stm

How it looks now

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/27/climate.report.america.trust/index.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/07/climate-change-science-public-trust

About the Massachusetts GOP victory

There is no doubt this event is tragic for the world. It portends of more aftershocks on the way.

The first thing the Americans can do is kiss universal health care goodbye and caress the stained hands of those corporations which have enslaved them forever. The rest of the world can expect more of the same from the warmongers and idiots when it comes to fixing global issues. It's time to put all the dreams on hold and go back to gardening. Yes, I can!

The great hope that rested on Obama is moot. And this definitely hurts on so many levels, I have to say. To be honest I had high hopes he was the person to take us forward. But instead I feel like I have been betrayed by his actions. I don't want to make excuses for him but he certainly didn't get any help from his party. Those feeble representatives bring new meaning to the notion that we ourselves are often our worst enemy. If Democrats are patent at one thing it is losing the un-losable victory.

On the other hand one has to admire the other side for knocking the wind out of YES WE CAN!

Of course tomorrow will show up and give us another day to get back into it. Definitely what happened sucks, and giving up would be so easy given the state of my cynicism. But, what else is there to do? Hi Ho, Hi Ho.

That darn energy bill!

I don't know why but I have always feel trepidation when I open my electricity and gas bills. My heart unfailingly stops beating as my eye races to see the money I will have to pay. When I do so I should sit down. Obviously, the momentary loss of blood flow presses me to feel light-headed. With the huge increases in energy charges these days I should probably lie flat and organise a heart specialist on standby. It is getting that bad.

As expected energy costs go up. But what grates me is that my household energy charges seem to be going up more than any other expense. In two quarters my bill has jumped more than 100 dollars, and percentage-wise this increase is much more than groceries and other essentials, which are also sky rocketing. It just seems disproportionate. Something seems awry about the CPI bundle the government is calculating. Seriously.

By the way this isn't a rant about my bill. I am not that unreasonable to expect a free ride when it comes to energy. I am aware of the costs and the benefits that come from usage.

Where I want to draw this post is to the decision I have recently made to portion part of my payments to renewable energy. It may seem meagre but 20% of my bill will now go to the renewable energy sector. Yes, I know this commitment is lean and it looks hypocritical considering my strong views and all.

Unfortunately the other 80% will still end up in the hands of the dirty coal industry.

But, the choice was easy to make, after all I support renewable industries. The difficult part was trying to settle on the amount I could afford to shell out.

I don't know what it is like elsewhere but here in Australia there appears hardly an incentive to switch to green energy. Considering the undeniable truth about fossil fuel's life span I don't understand why our governments are dragging their feet on policy direction. Their greenish rhetoric seldom gets marshalled into substantive action and their support for coal appears undiminished, in fact flourishing. Of course, politically, there are many reasons why governments are reluctant to make big difficult decisions. But they will have to make them sooner hopefully than later. I think people want our governments to be courageous and make the wise decision to do what is more responsible. Let go of coal.

In order for me to choose green energy I have to shoulder a higher premium amount under a 2 year contract. As a conscientious responsible citizen I want to make a substantial contribution even when it means paying for something more than what it costs under coal technology. I wish I could afford more, however, this is not financially possible without greater sacrifice on other necessities.

It is this business of deadlines that worries me, 2012, 2015, 2020, and 2050. For the sake of our children's future our governments have to lead with greater commitment and help us move toward the changes that have no alternative but to be made quick smart.

Getting to know Global Warming

The debate on global warming is one I find most frustrating to appreciate from the view of a skeptic. I think we should be well past the discussion and well into the 'doing what we can with all our might' phase. While the media focuses on the diatribe I firmly believe they are doing us a disservice. The majority of scientists have overwhelmingly proven the earth is warming. Science clearly demonstrates that the earth's temperatures are rising proportionately to the output of human industry.

It is widely accepted that since the advent of the Industrial Revolution the earth has warmed significantly, and as our populations and consumption habits have soared so has our insatiable demand for energy increased. We are exponentially burning fossil fuel to our detriment, risking our own and our children's future in destroying the plants and animals which provide our sustenance. Consumption feeds us and also depletes us. An unbalanced planet, missing its essential species can not feed us. A violent world ravaged by weather can not protect us and it will see our demise from both spiralling war and disease.

I can understand the unwillingness of economic powerhouses to commit to reducing global warming especially when consensus is betrayed by mistrustfulness and their own selfish objectives. No one wants to lose their place. The problem with playing politics is time. There is no more time.

I don't understand skeptics. What is in it for them? I know some religious people are expecting the second coming, an end of this sinful world to be supplanted by a theocratic utopia, an image of heavenly peace and beauty. They portend global warming as largely prophesied and as a necessary condition of the revelation, horseman of the apocalypse and all that tripe. I hear their thinking, "why delay the inevitable. Bring on the pestilence. My unreserved faith in god is all the salvation I need, god will take care of everything." They have always pinned their hope to the after life, driven by delusions of grand mansions and vestal virgins that await the faithful.

Then there are those other fallacists who live purely by economics. How wrong are these people? Are they so myopic that they confuse burning lethal energy as profit. What profit is there in values that perpetuate materiality at the expense of peace or happiness? Where is the good in misery, starvation, and slavery.

These are surely the signs of the monster, capitalism. What a wonderful world it pretends to be for those who are strong enough to survive with money and power. After the slaves are gone who will pay the taxes? Unless for money sake, I can not fathom the arguments which allay renewable energies over coal and nuclear.

Eventually, we must put our dynamism into renewables. So why not get started now in a big way instead of being so superficial about actually doing something we know is the right action? Surely one thing humanity can do well is rise to a challenge.

My voice is all I have to add to a chorus of people who believe whether we are late or not we must act to preserve our beautiful earth.

Just a pose

juxtapose |ˈjəkstəˌpōz; ˌjəkstəˈpōz|verb [ trans. ]place or deal with close together for contrasting effect : video of police violence from two different regimes and locations were starkly juxtaposed with images of everyday people being beaten and rounded up because they were protesting for change.

The commonality in these scenes is uncomfortably striking. Honestly, how different are these two regimes, really?

Climate campaigners clash with Copenhagen police

Iran Uprising 5 Nothing to Lose but The Chains

Copenhagen Disaccord: Sin, Spin, and Pin (the blame)

In a scene reminiscent of Star Wars's Galactic Senate, our nations leaders fecklessly wavered when they were obliged to stand up and get on with the job.

Possibly, this was the job, the one that really mattered if human existence counts in any sense of the word. Alas no saviour, not a Jedi in sight. Even Senator Palpatine was nowhere to be seen.

If truth be told the result was a foregone conclusion. I feel justified in my cynicism. It had all the touch of pre-planned sabotage. Of course from the start there were impending signs that significant results were going to be difficult to attain with such controversies as the stolen emails from the British scientists scandal and the Danish leaked document. In short the discrediting bodies had some negative influence, however, when it came to it nothing stood shorter than the organisers and politicians themselves.

What happened to the spectacle ending? We watched dumbfounded as our leaders cut tail. Capitulation was not supposed to happen. The powerful nations did not follow the Hollywood script. They were supposed to overcome their selfishness, rally and break a last minute deal for the sick planet, but instead we got a 2-3 pages of... well, I can't even think of it without spewing. This has to be the lamest act in history.

Am I saying without intervention millions, possibly billions of human beings will die? Yes, most certainly. Is earthgeno-suicide really inevitable now?

Depending on which media outlet one reads the spin game is on. While some like our Climate Change minister, Penny Wong, they have to do more than criticise other nations like the United States and China. That kind of displaced energy is counterproductive. Australia needs to take a good hard look at its own shambling policy measures. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/extreme-views-of-some-nations-cannot-derail-copenhagen-wong-20091220-l778.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/19/copenhagen-closes-weak-deal

I am so depressed by what happened at this Copenhagen conference. Mary MacKillop can you save us? Our leaders are not saints and can not produce miracles.

Desperate. But not desperate enough to believe in chimeras.

Waiting for the big announcement.

about my negativity

I know that my comments appear cynical. It concerns me somewhat because I do not want to see myself being so negative, but I can not deny feeling this way. I feel despair, utterly.

The more I learn about this world the less I feel. A numbness consumes me. Something stinks in Denmark, I fear. Yes, I'm angry about what I see around me. It has gotten to the stage I need to express my emotions and not keep them repressed.

This blog is my release valve, my therapy, my means of surviving. Getting it out from my system is crucial.

I do not expect anyone to read this. I just want to feel free just one in my life, to say what I really feel before I wither into dust.